Natalie
by Sierra Jade Faerie
Summary: My try at Jacob x OC. Even Jacob deserves his happy ending. You might be surprised, not an ordinary take on Jacob's imprinting. "I had fallen head over heels in love with him, this goofy, graceful, giant Quileute guy..." Posted pre-Breaking Dawn.
1. Arrival

**A/N: I thought I would try my hand at a Jacob x OC fan fic. ****J**** Virtual cookies if I can get five reviews! Oh, and I apologize now for any grammer mistakes or spelling errors. **

Chapter 1: Arrival

As I stepped out of the passenger seat of my dad's car, I felt a sense of peace. The woodsy yet salty smell of the air assaulted my nose. I breathed it in deep, relishing in the feeling of clean air, hard to find in Los Angeles. The soft green light around me was beautiful and I paused to admire the beauty of La Push.

My dad is a historian, and we were spending a year there in La Push to document the history of the Quilette tribe. They had already been so generous to us, agreeing to meet with my dad and even selling us a house right on the reservation. The house was an adorable little white two story house, complete with the little white picket fence. My mother would have loved it.

We entered the house, a few bags and boxes in our arms, to scope out the furniture placement. I ran up the stairs to my room, and instantly fell in love with the view. Out my window, I could see the ocean and the rocky beach. I even saw what were probably tide pools. Then, I walked down the hall to what would probably be our office space, for me to do homework, and for Dad to work on his history stuff. Out that window, I could see the woods I also loved; a small path wound into our yard.

My dad came up behind me.

"So Natalie, do you like it?" He smiled his gentle smile.

I smiled back, my smile much like his. "Yes Dad, it's absolutely perfect! I can see the ocean and the woods!"

"I'm so glad." He answered, and turned around to go grab more boxes. I followed, eager to get my room in living order. We moved all the boxes in, and then we worked together to move in most of the furniture. That's when we hit the roadblock that changed my life.

"Dad, it's too heavy!" I cried. "I can't lift it!" My dresser had gotten the best of me. He sighed.

"Alright," he replied. "I see a house right through those trees, we can go see if anyone there can help us."

I agreed and we walked over. I knocked lightly on the door. It was answered by a tall, very good looking, Quilette boy.

"Hi, you must be the neighbors?" He asked a little uncertainly.

My dad smiled and said, "Hello. Yes we are. I'm Dave Johnson and this is my daughter, Natalie."

He said it was a pleasure to meet us both, and that his name was Jacob Black. My dad asked for help with my dresser, and Jacob agreed immediately. I couldn't keep my eyes of Jacob, he was huge and yet very graceful. Plus he kept looking at me too. It was all very odd. Not that I was complaining.

He lifted the dresser with ease, even up the stairs. He volunteered to help with the rest of the furniture too. I decided to investigate the path leading into my backyard. It made a wide arc to the left. I ended up in Jacob Blacks back yard.

**A/N: Love it? Hate it? Please, let me know!!**


	2. Argument

**A/N: Well, to those who reviewed or added me to story alert etc, VIRTUAL COOKIES! -smiles- Please keep reviewing!**

Chapter 2: Argument

I knew it was his backyard because I could faintly see my new house through the trees, plus, it was the same colored house as Jacob's. Apparently the path had taken me on a much more roundabout route than I had thought, because from the sound of it, Jacob had finished helping my dad and was already home. He seemed to be in a shouting match with someone.

"Don't you see how bad this is?" He shouted. "She's the historians daughter! If he finds out about us he can easily expose us!"

I was extremely confused. What did I matter and why was it bad that my dad was a historian? Expose what? I hid behind a tree to see if I could find out.

A very calm voice answered him. "You need to put more trust in other people Jacob. You need to trust her, and her father, and most importantly, you need to trust your pack. Her fate is now irrevocably entwined with yours."

Weird. Why did he say pack? Were they still talking about me?

Jacob was quiet for a while. "This imprinting thing… It's just so surreal. I never thought I would imprint, especially after Bella… But I'm glad I did. I just hope she won't be freaked out."

Too late. I was beyond freaked out. Imprinting? Bella? And the most dominant question, were they really talking about me? I doubted it. So I turned around and walked back home on the path.

The house was already situated as far as furniture went, so I went upstairs and unpacked. I only had a few belongings. After unpacking, I went downstairs to help with dinner. My dad asked me if the path went anywhere interesting. I avoided the question and told him it passed some nice trees and flowers and such. Mostly the truth.

That night, I sat in the office and stared out the window, at the path. Suddenly, I saw a huge, wolf-like creature come out of the woods into my yard. I was stunned. Luckily, my dad was asleep. I don't think he would've appreciated a giant wolf in our yard.

The wolf saw me, whimpered, and made a motion with his head that seemed to tell me to come down. And, against all common sense, I did. I was drawn to him.

I crept downstairs, and cautiously walked out the back door. He approached me, and I stood still so I wouldn't startle him. He lowered his head to my level and gently nudged my hand. I slowly patted his head. He made a contented humming noise in his throat. It was sweet. He gently licked my cheek. He turned and left, and I sat down and stared into the woods, trying to make sense of what had happened.

**A/N: Well, another chappie done. Sorry they're so short! I'm trying to take it kind of slow as far as their relationship goes, but I wanted to put the argument in to show that he has imprinted on her. Please, please, PLEASE press that little review button!**


	3. Not a Stranger

A/N: Well, I'm done with finals!! happy dances Hopefully that means I'll get to post more!! WOOT! So, anyways, THANKS TO ANYONE WHO REVIEWED ETC!! It means a bunch to me! Anyone who reads though, please review! It seriously only takes a minute and it could be as simple as "good" or "bad." (though longer reviews make me pass out with joy.) So please, please, please, please review!!

Chapter 3 

The wolf came back almost every night after that. Every time afterwards I would reflect on my stupidity; being alone with a giant wolf was not exactly intelligent. I always told myself that I would not see him the next time, but every time he came I had to go. It was like I had an invisible rope tied around my waist that he pulled on. But I also really did love seeing him, as weird as that was to admit. He calmed me down and relaxed me after long days adjusting to my new school.

School was a drag. Most of the students were Quileute so I was instantly an outsider. People weren't going to bother getting to know me, knowing I wasn't going to be living there for long. I was used to it. Dad and I moved around a lot so I really never made any friends. My classes were boring, and I found it very hard to pay attention. A month eventually passed. With nothing eventful happening besides the argument and the wolf. Ever since the wolf had started coming I had stayed out of the woods, worried about other, less friendly wolves that could be out there. I walked down to the beach sometimes though, lounging for hours studying the tide pools.

One particularly gloomy Saturday, I decided to bake cookies. Not just one small batch either, but as many as I could make in a day. Dad was out researching so I had nothing better to do. He approved of my idea and gave me plenty of money for supplies. I was on a mission. I donned my heavy duty raincoat and began to trudge down the road to the grocery store. I was old enough to drive, but Dad was scared of me driving a real car, especially since the roads were always wet and usually curved a lot here. I was passing Jacob's house when I heard a husky voice calling my name. I turned around and tried to follow the sound. It was Jacob in his doorway.

"Natalie!," he cried, "Why are you walking in the rain?"

"I'm going to the store!" I yelled back.

He looked a little puzzled before responding. "Why aren't you driving?" he asked. "Aren't you old enough?"

I sighed and shuffled under a tree. I had a feeling this might take a while. "My dad is over protective. He won't let me. I really want to bake cookies so I have to walk to the store to get the ingredients."

He exploded with laughter, and even though it kind of annoyed me that he was laughing at me, I really liked his laugh. When he was done laughing, he asked if I needed a ride.

I deliberated for a while. They always say you should never get in the car with a stranger, but I figured he technically wasn't a stranger. He'd met my dad and had even been in my house. Plus I was really cold.

"Yes please, that'd be great if you don't mind." I said with a smile.

" Sure, sure." He replied with an easy grin. "I'll go get my keys."

A/N: Well that's chapter 3!! Hope you enjoyed it! Oh, and I'm having a conflict. Should I post shorter chapters more often, or longer chapters less often? Review and let me know, pretty please with virtual cookies on top!


	4. Cookies

A/N: passes out virtual cookies Thanks for the reviews! Hopefully this chapter will get more though, considering it's the longest and fluffiest one I've ever written! Enjoy!

Chapter 4: Cookies

We drove to the grocery store in a comfortable silence. His car was so much warmer than the rain. The warm air engulfed me like a blanket. My toes were frozen just from the short walk I had from my house to Jacobs, plus my short wait while we talked. I couldn't figure out why, but it wasn't weird or awkward to be in his car, which in itself was weird. I didn't even know him that well. But I felt safe and content sitting there next to him. Which made me worry. I can't like anyone too much, because I won't be here that long. It's pointless to make friends for such a short time. But right now, friendship with Jacob Black was looking like it would be hard to avoid.

We arrived at the grocery store and he came in with me. I was a little surprised, but I wasn't going to tell him to go away. He grabbed a shopping cart and I smiled a little bit to myself. People weren't usually this nice to me, especially guys. I glanced down at the recipe I had in my hand and decided to grab four bags of chocolate chips, a carton of eggs, a bag of white sugar, brown sugar, two boxes of butter, and a box of baking soda. He gave me a funny look.

"I'm making tons of cookies for absolutely no reason." I explained. "As many as I can make in a day, that's how many I'm going to make. Plus we don't have any of this stuff since most of it is non perishable. We left all of it in Los Angeles."

He chuckled. "Ok Natalie, lead the way."

We started chatting as we made our way around the isles. We talked about school, and I found out that we were both Juniors. We had a couple classes together and I hadn't even noticed. Had I really been that immersed in my daydreams? I guessed that it was probably since I couldn't be friends with anyone, so I didn't pay attention to my classmates. We talked a lot about the simple things too, like favorite colors and bands. He seemed surprised at some of my answers.

"Wait a minute!" He exclaimed. "Did you just say you love heavy metal?!"

I blushed. "Yeah, I did. That's all my dad listened to when I was younger so that's all I want to listen to now. Well, it doesn't have to be heavy metal, but at least rock."

He smiled. "Well then we're just two peas in a pod!"

I cracked up at his lame usage of two peas in a pod, but it was sweet, because he was trying to entertain me, and make me laugh. Plus it was awesome that we liked the same music. He eventually started laughing too, until we were laughing so hard that people were giving us funny looks. Which only made us laugh harder.

"We. Better. Go. Buy. This. Stuff." I said, gasping for air and giggling between words.

"I. Agree." He said, panting a little bit.

That made me laugh hysterically. "Jake, you sound like a dog!"

He froze. "Umm, what?"

"You know, because you were panting?" I explained, thoroughly embarrassed.

He broke out in a huge grin. "Oh! Ok."

I decided that was a little weird, but I didn't know him well enough to make any judgments. We finally made it over to the check out counter, where an elderly lady scanned our items.

"Nice to see you back in town Mr. Black," She said in a wheezy voice. "Had us all worried there for a while."

I looked at him questioningly but he just shrugged.

"Nice to see you too Mrs. Aldan." He hurried me out of the store, all of the grocery bags in one of his big hands. I noted again how strong he was.

I tried to be casual. "So what was that all about?"

He looked at me cautiously. I think he was deliberating whether or not to tell me the truth.

"I ran away for a while. I hit a rough patch and needed time to think it through. I was only gone for a couple months though." I could see honesty in his eyes, and also sadness. I decided not to press him any more than that. I wanted to comfort him though, but I couldn't hug him like I wanted to. So I just patted him shoulder as we made our way back to his car. He smiled down at me.

We climbed into his Rabbit and made our way home. It was very quiet, both of us wrapped up in our thoughts. I wondered what he was thinking about. His runaway time, or that Bella person… I was thinking about him. Were we friends now? Was I ready to have a real friend? I decided I wanted to be friends with him. I felt safe with him. He made me laugh and we liked a lot of the same things. Nervousness washed over me as I decided to ask him to stay and help me with the cookies.

"So… Jacob?" I broke the silence tentatively.

He jumped a little bit, probably wrapped up in his thoughts. "What's up Natalie?"

"Umm… Do you want to stay and help me for a little while?"

His face lit up. "Sure Natalie! I'm a great taste tester." He said teasingly.

I giggled. "Good thing I'm making a lot, I might need the extra with you around.

He chuckled good naturedly. Just then I saw his house ahead, and just beyond that, my house. The rain had let up a little, but I was still glad to be in a warm car instead of walking. I wasn't ready to admit to myself that I was enjoying the company far more than I should have.

We walked up to my house. I was thankful I had cleaned it up recently. He glanced around curiously. His eyes lingered on my school pictures, and pictures of me and my family. I was embarrassed again, but it was too late now. A smile was playing around his lips, but he wasn't laughing at me, so that must be a good sign. He carried the groceries into my bright, open kitchen as I followed behind. Right away, I got out mixing bowls, measuring cups and spoons, cookie sheets, and two classic wooden spoons. Jacob snuck up behind me and grabbed the recipe. He winked at me and proceeded to preheat the oven.

I put two bowls next to each other on the counter, the ingredients behind them. He came up and placed the recipe in between the bowls, and I mixed a batch while he mixed the second batch. We decided that baking two batches at a time would be fine, and we made perfect little balls of dough on two pans. As they were baking we wandered into my living room and turned on my TV. I put on something relatively neutral and we stared blankly at the screen for a short amount of time. I grew bored easily though. My feet started tapping and my hands patted my knees. I heard a soft chuckle.

"That impatient are you?" Jacob asked.

I grinned sheepishly. "I get bored easily." I explained.

Just then the cookie timer dinged. I jumped up and went to take them out of the oven. He followed, and each of us put on a pair of very chef like oven mitts. We grabbed our respective pans and placed them on two dish towels I had laid out on the counter. Our hands brushed and my heart fluttered. I internally yelled at myself and set the timer for five more minutes of cooling time.

"Now what?" I asked.

"If you have a deck of cards we could play War." Jacob suggested.

I sighed. "No cards here. My dad doesn't like cards."

He laughed again. Quite the laugher there.

"You laugh a lot Jake." I said teasingly. "Am I really that dorky?"

He grew suddenly serious. "You aren't dorky Natalie. I just haven't been this happy in a long time."

I decided not to analyze that statement for too long, at least not until later.

"We could play 20 questions." I suggested.

"Ok, ask me first."

I asked about his childhood pets, he didn't have any. I discovered that he had two sisters, one married. The timer went off after those few and we transferred the cookies to a cooling rack and made another batch pretty quickly. I continued to ask questions. He'd broken bones before, and when I asked if it'd been more than two, a faint blush crept up his cheeks.

"How many bones have you broken Jacob?!"

"Umm… the whole right side of my body…"

I gasped. "How in the world did you manage that?!"

"Wrecked my motorcycle." He mumbled.

I was impressed. "You ride motorcycles?"

He nodded. "I fix them too. Built my car."

I could feel my eyes grow wide and my jaw drop. "You built your car?!"

"Yeah. Maybe I could show you my garage sometime?"

I nodded eagerly. "I'd like that."

The day passed quickly, and we eventually ran out of eggs, and therefore, cookie batter. We literally had hundreds of cookies. I decided that we needed to take some to the neighbors. Twelve at a time, we piled cookies on paper plates and put plastic wrap over them. Jacob knew a lot of people he wanted to bring some to, so I let him drive. He brought them to some of his friends, who each gobbled half the plate upon delivery. We brought some to my dad, who coincidentally was interviewing Jacobs dad.

We walked into the little café and I saw Jacobs dad for the first time. He had a wise, older face. I also noticed with surprise that he was in a wheelchair. He looked at me curiously. He gave a questioning look towards Jacob that was probably supposed to subtle. I saw Jacob nod infinitesimally. My dad was looking at me curiously too. I wondered offhandedly if I had batter on my face.

Jacob introduced me. "Dad, this is Natalie Johnson."

"Hello Mr. Black, it's nice to meet you." I said politely and shook his hand.

He shook my hand back and said, "Call me Billy, please."

I smiled and said I would, then I turned to my dad. "Umm, Dad, Jacob saw me walking in the rain and offered me a ride to the store. Then I invited him to stay and help me bake. I hope you don't mind."

He smiled the widest I've seen him smile in a long time. "No, I don't mind at all! Thanks for the cookies. How many did you make?"

I giggled a little. "Way over a hundred!" Both men looked a little shocked and started chuckling. We excused ourselves respectfully and continued our cookie deliveries. Once we finished that, we made our way back to my house. I still had plenty of cookies, so I split them in half and gave a bunch to Jacob. We ate milk and cookies for a late lunch, and it was delicious.

My once spotless kitchen was now a cookie tornado, so we decided to clean it up before my dad got back. We put all the dishes into the sink and I scrubbed away at the counters. He grabbed a broom and swept the floor, and I grabbed a dustpan. After that we put soap in the sink and ran warm water to help dissolve the cookie dough. I turned around to make sure the oven was turned off, when I felt something warm and wet splat on my head. I jumped about a foot into the air. It slid down my face, and I saw it was bubbles. I turned around and Jacob was bent over in silent laughter.

"Jacob Black you are soo dead!" I screamed. I grabbed a handful of bubbles and turned towards him.

"Uh oh!" He cried, then started running. I chased him around for a while, and he finally slowed down enough for me o lob them right at his head. He fell to the ground.

"I'm hit! Mayday, mayday! Man down! Lesson learned, don't put bubbles on Natalie!"

I grinned. "And don't you forget it!" He got up and lightly grabbed my hand and pulled me onto the couch. My heart palpitated crazily at the contact.

"So do I get to ask you 20 questions now?"

I sighed contentedly. "Sure."

He asked me a few of the same questions I asked him, but he ventured into some awkward subjects. Did I have a boyfriend back home, to which I answered no, and did I ever have a boyfriend, another no. Then he asked a question that made my breath catch in my throat.

"What if I said I wanted to be your boyfriend?"

A/N: Ok, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, give me 5 reviews, that's all I'm asking for is 5! This took me all day! Maybe next chapter I'll give out virtual cookies that Jacob and Natalie made!!


	5. Burns

A/N: Thanks you amazing reviewers! -passes out the promised cookies, made by Natalie and Jacob- Please enjoy this chapter, because I loved writing it!

Chapter 5: Burns

I gasped. My head started to spin. Was he asking me out, or was it really a hypothetical question? How should I answer?

"Umm, Natalie?" His voice sounded sad.

I held up my finger in a one-minute gesture and felt the couch shift as he relaxed. My eyes were closed and I was trying to breath regularly. I knew, that deep down inside, I really liked Jacob. As more than a friend. I had fallen head over heels in love with him, this goofy, graceful, giant Quileute guy, who just happened to be my neighbor. He made me feel safe and we liked so many of the same things. We were seventeen, well over my dad's age limit for dating. But I was only going to be living in La Push until the end of the summer.

"Well, I would probably say it depended on whether or not it was a hypothetical question."

He looked me in my deep blue eyes, with his beautiful brown eyes. "Natalie, will you be my girlfriend?"

A tear trickled out of my eye, because I was convinced that I was dreaming, or that he was playing a cruel joke on me. He lifted his hand to my cheek and wiped away my tear.

"Why are you crying?" He sounded genuinely curious, but also very, very dejected.

"Because I'm dreaming and now I'm waiting to wake up." I said bitterly.

He pulled me into a hug and I melted into his arms. It felt so perfect. I could feel his breath on my ear.

"You're not dreaming Natalie. I really, really want you to be my girlfriend. Please?"

Now I was convinced I was dreaming. I pinched myself. "Ouch!" I yelped.

He pulled back quickly. "Did I hurt you?" He asked tensely.

"No." He looked relieved. "I pinched myself."

He grabbed my hands gently and looked into my eyes again. "Now do you believe that you're awake?"

I nodded, lost in the warm brown eyes that held mine. I struggled for the wording I was looking for.

"Jacob, I think I like you, a lot. But it's already October and I'm leaving at the end of August…" I trailed off. He looked pained. "Don't think of then Natalie, think of now. We have at least eleven months together, and if this works out, I swear I'll find a reason for your dad to have to stay." He said, so confidently that I couldn't doubt him.

"And this is so fast!" I exclaimed. "We've hung out for the first time today!"

He looked worried as he thought up an answer. "But I feel like I've known you forever." He bit his lower lip and waited for my reply.

I felt the same way, and honestly I didn't know why I was hesitating. "My answer is yes. I really do want to be your girlfriend." I said with a nervous little smile.

He looked like a little boy who just saw the presents under the tree on Christmas morning. He had a smile as big as the sun, his eyes were filled with wonder. He stood up and tenderly pulled me up off the couch. He wrapped his arms around my waist and swung me in a circle, before pulling me into a tight hug. I fit into his embrace like two puzzle pieces, connected together to make the picture whole.

We pulled apart but our hands found each others.

"Well, I need to make dinner for my dad. You're welcome to stay if you want."

"I'd like that. Maybe we can just invite my dad to dinner and all four of us can eat together?" He suggested.

It was a good idea, so I called my dad.

"Hey dad. Why don't you invite Billy to come to dinner. I already invited Jacob. We're having homemade macaroni and cheese, and probably a salad."

"Sounds like a good idea Nat, then I can interview him a little longer." I heard him asking Billy if he wanted to stay for dinner, and the rumble of Billy's reply. Jacob had wrapped his arms around me from behind and his chin was resting on my head. I had my free arm on top of his arms, and we started rocking gently back and forth.

"He says that sounds wonderful Natalie, we'll be home in about forty-five minutes."

"Alright Dad, see you soon."

I hung up the phone and spun around until we were hugging again. He gently kissed my forehead and I sighed happily. As much as I didn't want to, I needed to go make dinner, so I had to leave his arms. He was so warm, almost feverish.

I put water on to boil and grated the cheese. After that there was nothing left to do but wait for it to heat up..

"Hey Jake."

"Yeah Natalie?"

"Do you think…" I blushed.

"What?" He gently brushed his fingers on my cheeks where I blushed, touching each little freckle.

I tried again. "Do you think we should tell our dads about… us?" He thought it over for a while.

"Yeah I think we should. That way your dad won't think I'm a stalker or something."

"Yeah and your dad won't think I am either." I giggled at the thought.

The water finally boiled and I added the noodles in.

"Kind of makes me wish I had some boy crazy friend to email back home." I said, mostly to myself. He heard it.

"Why?" "So I can brag about my amazing boyfriend." I said shyly. It was the first time I had really said the word out loud, pertaining to Jacob.

"Well I'm the lucky one then, because come Monday, I get to show off my beautiful girlfriend to the world." He said with a glint in his eye.

I groaned. "So much for staying incognito."

He laughed, and I instantly felt lighter. His laughter was like air to me already, I needed it to survive. I was in deep and it was only the first hour!

Out of the corner of my eye I saw the water boil over on the noodles.

"Ugh!" I exclaimed. I ran over to the stove and turned the heat off. Jacob grabbed a strainer for me, and I dumped the pasta in. Then I got a casserole dish out and placed in a layer of pasta, then a layer or cheese, and a few bits of butter, alternating them. Then I mixed milk and egg, pouring it all over and adding bread crumbs on top. I popped it into the oven, started the timer, and pulled Jacob by the hand to the couch in the living room.

We sat down and he pulled me closer so I was leaning against him. Our hands were intertwined in my lap, and I focused on memorizing them, there together, in case I only got to see that for eleven months. I could feel his lips on my hair, and it was very relaxing. My eyelids started to droop, then all to soon, the timer went off. I pulled on my oven mitts and took it out of the oven and onto the pot holders I had placed. We pulled down plates and got silverware out of the drawer. The table was set quickly and I decided to put the prepackaged salad into a nice bowl since we were having company over. I ripped the bag open and dumped it in to my mom's favorite bowl, setting it in the middle of the table. I was walking towards the fridge to grab a few types of dressing, when I tripped. My hand reached out to catch me, but it landed on the edge of the casserole pan. Of all the baking I had done that day, I hadn't burned myself until then.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!" I whimpered. A light burn was on all of my fingertips, and I rushed to the sink to run it under cold water. Jacob's arm slipped around my shoulder, and when I glanced up at him, I could see concern on his face.

"Are you ok?" He asked worriedly. I assured him that I would be fine when a devilish look came to his face.

"I could kiss it to make it better." He said. He set me on the countertop and took my hand in his. My hand was lifted to his face, and he kissed each fingertip gently. Then his face came closer to mine, and he kissed my forehead. My heart and my breath quickened. He put his hands on either side of my face and kissed my nose. Then he put his hands on my waist and kissed me full on the lips. I melted instantly. I felt my arms wrap around his neck, pulling me closer to him. I could feel his heat all over me. The kiss was very gentle and sweet, just like a first kiss should be. We stayed like that for a while, both of us together, in harmony, until we a heard a soft gasp behind us.

A/N: Well, what do you think? Please, let me know! -puppy eyes- I would like six reviews please!


	6. Awful Dream

A/N: OMG THANKS SO MUCH GUYS!! I got seven reviews! That's the most I've gotten, and I really appreciate it! I want to apologize in advance for how short this chapter is, though. Its more of a transition chapter, it's leading the way into a much longer chapter after this.

Chapter 6: Awful Dream

We pulled apart and he spun around, and I felt a blush spread up my face, red hot and torturous. I dropped my face into my hands and groaned softly. Jacob grabbed my hand and started rubbing calming circles with his thumb. Despite our predicament, a soft smile came to my lips, which happened to be very warm and happy.

"Umm…?" Oh crud. That was my dads voice. I glanced up, but he didn't seem mad, more like curious, and shocked. I opened my mouth to explain, but Jacob put his finger to my lips to silence me.

"Mr. Johnson, let me explain…" My dad cut him off.

"Kids, I think it's pretty self explanatory, and I'm not going to get angry. Just, please be careful." He smiled at us, and I could have sworn he looked like he was proud of me.

"We will!" We said in unison.

Jacobs dad had came up behind him, and he merely agreed with my dad about being responsible.

Dinner was a quiet affair. I sat next to Jake, but we didn't hold hands or anything. It was nice to be next to one another, listening to my dad finishing up his interview with Billy. The Black's took home a bunch of cookies, and when I looked at how many were left in my kitchen, I was pleased to see that we finally had the right amount for one family.

By the time I was done cleaning up dinner, it was around eleven and I was exhausted. I climbed the stairs slowly, thinking over the day and thinking of my new boyfriend. I walked into the bathroom to brush my teeth and wash my face, and I was surprised by what I saw. My face, usually lightly tan but fairly devoid of emotion, was unusually flushed and had a happy glow about it. My red, slightly wavy hair, was messier than usual, and slipping out of the hair tie it was commonly held in. My eyes were sparkling, and I couldn't keep a smile off my face.

After finishing in the bathroom, I went and laid on my bed, waiting to see the wolf that I was sure would come. The soothing sound of waves crashing on the beach could be heard if I was quiet enough, so I focused on it. I had a lot to think about, and I intended to think about it thoroughly.

I had already decided that I wanted to be Jacob's girlfriend, but what I didn't know was if I was ready to be noticed. Jacob had a lot of friends and I was going to have to get to know them. Talking to people really wasn't my thing though. But as I deliberated, I realized that I hadn't ever tried to talk to people. I decided that my goal here in La Push was to be a better person, and try new things, because what ever happened, I was leaving. If anything went wrong, I would be able to leave it behind and go back to being the old Natalie.

Time passed slowly as I was thinking, but I finally heard a soft whimper. The wolf had come. I got up slowly, careful not to make any noise. I crept slowly down the stairs, and slid the back door open. The wolf bound up to me, unusually exuberant. His tail was wagging like crazy, and he was making that humming noise. I patted his head and he wiggled ferociously, unable to hold in his excitement. I chuckled.

"Looks like you had a good day too Mr. Wolf."

He tipped his head to the side, making him look confused.

"I met an amazing boy today. He likes me, I think. And he's my boyfriend and my dad is happy about it!" I said this with wonder, because I didn't quite believe it.

The wolf looked like he was smiling, and he licked my face. I froze. His breath smelled like cookies. Chocolate chip cookies.

"Mr. Wolf, where in the world did you get those cookies from? Did you steal them from Jacob? I hope he's ok… I'm gonna walk over there and check."

The wolf turned around and bolted into the woods.

"That was weird." I muttered to myself. I jogged softly out our back gate and toward Jacob's house. I knocked softly, quiet enough to not wake anyone up, but loud enough for Jacob to hear it if he was awake. Then I realized with a jolt that I was going to have to tell him that I was friends with a giant wolf.

Jacob opened the door, breathing heavily. His hair was wild and he looked startled.

"Hey Natalie, what are you doing over here this late?" He didn't have enough curiousness in his voice though.

"Umm… can we go to your garage? I need to talk to you." He looked worried, but agreed. He reached for my hand, and when I took it some of my worry went away. We walked around back of his house, where a small building stood. We walked in, and I saw that this was his garage. I smelled gasoline, and I saw a motorcycle in the corner. There were tools spread on the floor, not quite messily, but not quite organized either. Like organized chaos.

"So what's up?" He sounded apprehensive.

"Well… umm… promise you won't get mad at me?"

"Ok I promise."

"There's this wolf that comes to my backyard at night. He's really just like a giant dog. He wags his tail and licks my face. Except sometimes he acts almost human…" I trailed of a little before continuing. "Anyway, he came tonight and his breath smelled like the cookies we baked. I wanted to make sure you and your friends were ok and ask you if you knew anything about it." It sounded so stupid when I said it out loud. I ducked my head in case I started blushing. Then I felt his arms around me.

"Natalie, I need to show you something, but I want you to promise you won't get made at me." I was confused, but I nodded.

"I promise."

He lead me outside and told me to wait there. He walked away into the woods. I suddenly felt very alone, and almost scared, standing there alone in the dark.

I heard a whimper and saw my wolf in the woods. He walked up slowly and dropped something at my feet. When I picked it up, I saw it was the t-shirt Jacob was wearing just moments before.

"J-Jake?" I asked the wolf, my voice cracking.

He ducked his head. My breathing became uneven and I felt tears in my eyes.

"W-what..? H-how..?" I felt my body shaking, and I knew I was about to lose it. I sank to the ground and hugged my knees, willing myself to wake up from this awful dream. I was vaguely aware of the wolf howling and running away as my world went black.

A/N: Well, there it is. Please review! I would LOVE eight if you guys could.


	7. Soul Mates

A/N: I know last chapter was a ridiculously short chapter. I'm making up for the short one with a long one! YAY!! Oh and GIGANTIC VIRTUAL COOKIES to the people who reviewed, twilightfan78, Kabtashe, fizz3221, and bookwormkrissy. Thanks guys! And yes Maddy, I know you were at camp. ;) Anyways, please enjoy this chapter because it was super hard. And its cute! :P oh and P.S.!! if the chapter shows as posting twice it's because I did some last minute editing. SORRY! Oh and it's nothing major, just a couple words here and there that didn't feel right.

Chapter 7: Soul Mates

I woke up in my bed with a pounding headache. I sat up faster than I had intended and my head spun. So many thoughts were swirling around in my head that I couldn't focus on any of them. My head hurt too bad, and I was too tired. I laid back on my pillow and focused on breathing. Then I heard someone else breathing in my room. I gasped and tried to sit up again, but a warm hand gently pushed me back down.

"Jake!" My breathing came quickly; he had startled me.

"Shh…" He was trying to sooth me. I shook my head to clear it, trying to focus on him, but that just started it pounding.

"Oh my… I had the worst dream Jacob! You were a wolf and he ate our chocolate chip cookies and everything went black…" I trailed off. One, because I was babbling, barely coherent, two, the pity and worry in his eyes was enough to tell me that it wasn't a dream, and three, he was in my room!

"Natalie, that wasn't a dream. I can leave now if you want me to. But you should know that you passed out and I'm debating whether or not to take you to the emergency room. And that I can explain everything if you just give me the chance." He said it so fast that I barely caught it all.

"Breath Jake, I'm not gonna banish you, and I don't need to go to the E.R. But I would like to know what is going on." A big yawn escaped my lips, and I glanced at the alarm clock next to my bed. The annoying green numbers told me that it was just after two in the morning. I groaned.

"Can you wait until morning Nat? I think it's too late… Or is it early? Whatever. Either way I think you should get some sleep first."

I giggled at his logic and nodded my head sleepily. "See you in the morning… or see you later… Whatever." I cursed myself for blatantly copying him, but he must have liked it, because he chuckled and came to my bedside, placing a light kiss on my forehead. I felt my lips slip into a pout.

"Why are you pouting?" He asked, sounding completely nonplused.

I whispered, because I was worried about being too forward. "You missed my lips."

He looked elated, amused, and even more confused. Which no offence, put quite a strange look on his face.

"But aren't you scared of me?"

"I don't think so. I'm scared that you turn all wolfy, but if you have an explanation, I'm going to wait before I push you away. For now, you're still my boyfriend, who missed my lips!" I took a deep breath and smiled. He smiled back, and kneeled by my bed.

"If you're sure." I nodded, overly eager. He bent his head towards mine and kissed my carefully on the lips.

I sighed against them and murmured, "Much better."

He stood up and brushed my hair off my forehead. "Good night, my beautiful. You'll understand it all in the morning."

I smiled softly, already half asleep. "Ok, Jake. See you soon."

He chuckled, and climbed softly out of my window.

The rest of that night, I dreamt of him. We were holding hands, running through a forest, but somehow the sunlight was warming us. We were laughing, and I was so joyful that I felt like I would burst. A light breeze blew through, rustling my light skirt and my hair, uncharacteristically hanging freely, no hair tie. Both off us were barefoot, but the moss and grass beneath our feet was soft. We ran up a hill, covered in orange and yellow flowers, and collapsed at the top, hands still entwined. I looked up at the bright blue sky, a few lazy clouds floating softly along. Jacob stood up, squeezing my hand before loping away. I still felt peaceful, though, because I knew he'd be right back.

A wolf trotted up the hill, Jake in wolf form. I felt a twinge of panic as he approached me. He stopped in front of me, lowering his head towards my face. I looked into his eyes, and I could see him begging me to accept him, wolf and all. I lifted my hand and gently rubbed the soft fur on his neck. The humming sound started, and I slowly felt more at ease. He laid down, and I leaned against his broad back. It was at that moment, even though I was asleep, that I knew I would eventually be able to accept him, because I had loved the wolf, my only friend in a period of darkness, and now, I was starting to love the human side too, my companion.

Uncommon sunlight shined through my window when I woke again. I sat up slowly this time, but my headache had eased and my dream was filling me with comfort.

"Morning sleepyhead." A warm voice said.

"Hey Jake." I turned to my window, where he was standing with a tray.

"I brought you breakfast in bed. I wanted to take you out to breakfast, but the stuff we need to talk about… Well, we can't be overheard." He looked pained, but hopeful.

I felt tears in my eyes.

"Oh Jake, that's so sweet!" I bounded out of bed to hug him, ducking under the tray and wrapping my arms around his waist. Then I stopped. I was in my same clothes as yesterday, which was uncomfortable and gross.

"I'll be right back. Sit on my bed." I instructed. He agreed and I shuffled over to my dresser, grabbing a pair of decent sweat pants, and then to my closet, grabbing a casual t-shirt. I walked into the bathroom, stretching as I went, and changed into my new outfit. I deemed it useless to brush my hair since he'd already seen it, but I did brush my teeth, to be on the safe side. Finally comfortable, I went back to my room.

He was where I'd left him, tapping his foot on the floor I climbed into bed on the opposite side of the one he was sitting on, and he placed the tray in my lap. It wasn't anything fancy, just some toast and apple slices, but it was perfect. I was secretly glad it wasn't fancy, because I would feel bad if he went through a lot of trouble. I bit eagerly into my toast, waiting to hear his explanation. He cleared his throat, and began.

"Well, the wolf thing, it was born into me. I didn't have any choice. It all started with my ancestors. Has your dad told you any of our legends yet?" I shook my head. "He thinks they're legends, but they really are our history. My ancestors started changing into wolves because they needed to protect their villages from the Cold Ones. You know them as vampires." My eyes grew wide, and I dropped my toast on my plate.

"Yes, they're every bit as real as I am. Harder than granite, paler than paper, and colder than ice. And they really drink blood. But they're why I exist. To protect my family and friends, my community. My girlfriend." He smiled at me. "But that brings us to a more important point. One legend that we hadn't counted as completely true, a rare case kind of, one of a kind, was a thing called imprinting. Us werewolves find our soul mates this way." He wouldn't meet my gaze, embarrassed. "When we see these people, our world changes. Our whole outlook on life. We live for them. We're made for them. It feels like our source of gravity changes. Instead of Earth holding us down, they do. And Natalie, you're my imprint." I stopped breathing. Words raced around my head. _Soul mate. Gravity changes_. _My imprint. _Me. I was this person. He continued.

"And if you don't want me as a boyfriend, I can be a best friend, a brother, a protector. I could go away forever, even though it causes me pain just to be in a different room than you. You are beautiful to me even on your worst hair day, wonderful company to me even in your worst mood, my world every second of every day."

Tears started falling freely. It was so beautiful, and I wanted so badly for it to be true. I figured the only way I would know for sure is if I let him show me. And that would take time. I swallowed hard, and he grabbed a bottle of water out of his pocket.

"Thanks." I croaked out. After a long drink of water, I was ready to talk. "Jake, you've made me feel like the prettiest, most interesting girl on the planet. But I don't see how that could be. People don't talk to me, they don't even look at me. That's how I've lived my life. And then you show up, gorgeous, nice, my age, my neighbor. You appeared as a wolf in my yard, and gave me the comfort I needed, adjusting to a new place. You rescued me out of the rain, talked to me, made me laugh. You asked me out, gave me my first kiss, and then I found out you turn into a giant wolf. It's an awful lot to swallow." He looked like he wanted to say something but I held up my hand to show him I wasn't done. "But I don't see any reason why I shouldn't trust you. And I think…" I paused again. "I think I might even love you. Even though we've only known each other a short amount of time. And this 'imprinting' thing, it explains that. If we really are soul mates, I'm ready to accept you, wolf and all." I blushed a little and looked down at my food, tears still falling.

He reached out and took my hands in his, catching my eyes. I couldn't look away, his dark, endless eyes holding my gaze. Honesty was pouring out of them.

"Natalie, I know I love you. I want to make you happy, to keep you safe, provide for you, and spend every moment with you as long as you'll let me."

"I-I…" I was sobbing. My feet took me out of my bed and to my window, my thinking place. All my wildest dreams were coming true. All I had to do was embrace them. He had said he loved me. And I loved him too. I needed to tell him. I took a deep breath and turned around. He had stood up, watching me uncertainly. I walked over and stood in front of him. I looked up into his eyes.

"I love you Jacob. You can stay with me as long as you want." A smile of relief spread across his face and he wrapped me in a tender hug. I felt so warm. I closed my eyes and rested my cheek on his chest, and all I could see was red. His skin, his warmth, his love, my blush, the apple he had cut for me. Red was my new favorite color. I felt like I could have stayed like that forever, but I knew it couldn't happen.

"Jake, as much as I'd like to stay here the rest of my life, what else should we do today?"

He deliberated. "I want you to meet the pack." He decided.

I hadn't realized it, but there were more of them. I scolded myself. They were people. I silently rephrased it. There were more werewolves. I tried not to let my shock show, and I looked up at him. "Do many of them have imprints?"

He smiled. "Yes, quite a few actually. You'll be able to meet at least one of them. She's like the pack mother. Emily."

I loved that name. "Ok. Sounds good to me." Something dawned on me. "Jake, the day we met, I followed the path in my yard to your house. I heard you arguing with someone. Were you telling him you imprinted on me?"

He looked ashamed. "You heard me talking to Sam. Well, more like yelling at him. He's the pack leader, the Alpha. Emily is his imprint. You might meet him too, if he isn't on patrol."

I nodded. "So is that our game plan for the day?"

"Part of it..." He grinned mischievously. "I want to take my soul mate to dinner."

I couldn't help squealing with delight. I was going on a real date, with my soul mate. I couldn't wait.

A/N: Well, please let me know how I did with the werewolf stuff. And I know that I didn't have him explain about how they actually change form and the anger stuff, but it's going to come up once she meets Emily. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE give me five reviews! I know you guys can do it!


	8. Hotheads

A/N: I'm sorry it's been so long! I've been playing a lot of softball, taking my dogs on walks, been generally busy, and I've had slight writers block. However, this is the longest chapter I've EVER written! A little over five pages, twelve point font, single spaced on word. Not really much if you think about it, but more than usual! It's kind of a filler, but it establishes some important stuff. Thank you to daniela25, Siren to the Werewolves, fizz3221, diabeticgirl4, Muse-of-the-Night, twilightfan78, azrael-chan, Kabtashe, and Shadowgirl61 for reviewing! You guys make my world a happier place! VIRTUAL COOKIES TO ALL! Oh, and my best friend, diabeticgirl4, has recently started a Twilight fanfic called Bittersweet Blood. It's OC x OC but it's really cool because it's Vampire x Diabetic Human. If you read it, you'll love it, because it's amazing and totally unique. Well, happy late 4th of July! Enjoy this chapter! Links to Natalie's clothes on my pro.

Chapter 8: Hotheads

I shooed him into my living room so I could take a shower, choose a new outfit, and possibly do something with my hair. He grinned good-naturedly and agreed. I ran up the stairs to the bathroom and hurried through my shower as fast as I could. When I was finally done, I skipped lightly into my room and was surprised to see how late it was. It was almost two in the afternoon! I blushed a little at how late I'd slept. The closet beckoned, and to my dismay, I didn't see anything that would work. Nice enough to impress Jake's friends, but casual enough for me to be comfy. And it needed to look good on me. I wanted black, but I didn't own anything nice in black. Then I caught a glimpse of black in the very back of my closet. What I found brought tears to my eyes.

It was my mom's favorite shirt. A black blouse, elegant but super comfortable. I had inherited it when mom… passed on… I desperately fought the tears threatening to escape, and pulled on a red undershirt, then the beautiful blouse. Buried underneath the pants in my dresser I found a nice pair of dark jeans to wear to meet the pack. Later, I would dress it up a little for the date. Thinking about the date helped fight the depression that wanted to take over, and I was grateful again for Jacob.

I slipped on a pair of simple black ballet flats and went back to the bathroom. After glancing at my hair, I decided to just brush it and leave it down. My teeth needed to be brushed again, more out of common courtesy than anything else. I finally deemed myself presentable and joined Jake in the living room.

When I entered the room, he glanced up at me and froze. His mouth dropped a little bit and I stopped in the doorway. He shook his head slightly, and I think his dark skin flushed a little darker. He dropped his head and looked down at his feet.

"Uh, if you don't like it I can change." I felt suddenly self-conscious and the dark clouds started creeping back towards me.

"What?!" He lumped up and came over, grabbing my hands. His eyes raked my body quickly and I raised an eyebrow. "I like it. A lot. You look beautiful."

Now I was the one blushing, but I was much more obvious.

"Thanks." I replied.

"So are you ready to go?" Nervousness was plastered across his face.

"Lead the way!" I said, trying to be encouraging.

He released one of my hands and pulled me out to his car. We climbed in and I tried to smooth my hair in vain. It was fluffy, like usual.

He chuckled softly, and I stared at him quizzically.

"What's so funny?"

"You're trying to hard to impress these people and we aren't even there yet! Trust me, when you meet them, you're going to see that there's no need." He said this confidently, and I wanted to believe him, but I had this gut feeling that this visit wasn't going to be smooth sailing. Unfortunately, I had an uncannily accurate gut.

We drove up in front of a small house, but it was very cute and tidy. He opened my door for me, and I couldn't help but smile. He wrapped his arm around my waist, and together, we walked up to the door. I knocked, and Jacob leaned down to whisper something in my ear.

"Please don't stare at Emily."

I was about to ask why I would, when a woman opened the door. I could tell she would be very beautiful, except for the scars on her face. I wondered what happened, but I knew it would have to wait for later.

"Hi Jacob! Nice to see you!" She smiled at us and turned towards me. "You must be Natalie! It's so nice to finally meet you. My name is Emily."

"Hello Emily. Pleased to meet you, too." I smiled timidly. Suddenly, a delicious smell wafted from the doorway. Jacob breathed deeply.

"Ooh, smells like Emily is baking brownies!" He gave her a huge, goofy grin. I giggled.

She put her hands on her hips. "Yes, I am. You can have some if you promise you won't eat the whole plate yourself like last time." She winked at me while giving Jake a stern look. His goofy grin turned sheepish.

I turned to him. "You ate a whole plate of brownies?"

"Well, um… Wolves need to eat a lot. We're always hungry."

"You can't imagine how much I end up cooking. With ten wolves that never get full, I cook constantly."

A gasp escaped me. "Did you just say ten?"

"Yes hon, didn't Jake tell you?" She gave him a disapproving look.

"I hadn't gotten to it yet Emily."

"Ah. Well come in and make yourselves at home, the brownies should be done in a few minutes." She gave us a sweet smile, and cleared the doorway. We crossed the threshold and sat on a small loveseat in what was most likely the living room. The sweet, chocolate smell of the brownies swirled around the house, and there was an undertone of woodsy smells. A trace of pine, of moss, of fresh rain, and wood. I leaned my head against Jacobs shoulder, and noticed he had those smells on him too. It was nice, homey almost.

I heard Emily open the oven, and the chocolate smell intensified. I could feel Jacobs's chest filling with air as he breathed in the smell. He fidgeted a little bit. I looked up at him, grinning,

"Hungry?"

He smiled back. "Always. And Emily happens to be an excellent cook. We give her enough practice time at least."

I giggled. "She might just have to teach me some of your favorites then."

"I'd like that."

We sat together, just enjoying each other's company. I basked in his warmth.

"You're so warm…" I murmured. "Is that because you're a wolf?" He nodded. "How hot are you, exactly?"

He shrugged. "108 or 109. I'm not exactly sure." He avoided looking at me again.

I snuggled up closer to him. "I like it. It upsets me when I'm cold."

I saw something flicker in his eyes. It seemed almost smug, but also pleased. I wondered why.

Suddenly, the door burst open. Two guys walked in, huge and muscular like Jacob. One was shorter and heftier, the other taller and built slimmer. Jacob groaned softly.

The leaner one saw us first. "Hey Jake. And hi… um?"

"Embry, this is Natalie Johnson, Natalie, this is Embry Call. He's part of the pack."

He glanced meaningfully between Embry and me, hugging me closer. Understanding lit up his face.

I stammered. "Nice to meet you?" It came out as more of a question. Embry's brow had furled and he was looking at me quizzically. He nudged the brawny boy.

"Oh hey Jake. And… Girl with Jake." He looked more surprised than inquiring.

Jacob rushed through introductions again and I learned the big one was named Quil Ateara, also a wolf. And neither of them addressed me.

Jake cleared his throat. "This is my girlfriend, and my imprint."

They nodded slowly, still not talking, surveying me. I was getting angry. I jumped up.

"You know, you guys have a lot of nerve." They turned towards me. "I go against all of my instincts and come here, to meet strange people that are my boyfriends friends and family. I'm polite and everything. And all I get is stared at with rude looks. I don't appreciate that. What have I done to deserve disrespect?" My hands were resting on my hips, my hair thrown back, my jaw clenched, and my mouth set in a tight line. I could almost feel my eyes shooting daggers at them. They both started shaking, glaring back at me. Jacob jumped up and wrapped his arm back around my waist.

"Quil, Embry! Cool it or get the heck out of here!"

Embry literally snarled. "Why should we? She's the intruder!" The shaking grew harder and I felt sudden panic in the pit of my stomach.

"Knock it off guys! She deserves to be here as much as you, if not more. She acts like a civil person!"

The two boys outlines began blurring and Jacob started shaking too. I tried rubbing his back a little and that seemed to help him calm down. Then the door burst open again. An oddly calm man walked in. He surveyed the situation and made a split decision.

"Jacob, grab Embry, and I'll grab Quil. We need to get them outside before they hurt someone." He glanced at me and behind me towards the kitchen.

Jacob acted quickly, and I looked behind me, seeing Emily in the kitchen doorway, absentmindedly running her fingers along her scars. I decided to follow them, but suddenly Emily's hand was around my wrist.

"Don't go out there. This will probably get out of hand."

I nodded, but I went to stand at the window. Quil, Embry, and Jake were shaking violently now, and I could tell they were shouting at each other. The calm man seemed to be trying in vain to calm them down. Out of the blue, I realized that the man was Sam. What happen next stunned me. One minute, all three of the shaking boys were there, and then they weren't. In their place were three huge wolves, one I obviously recognized. Bits of cloth and jeans flung around, and then all three wolves were a ball of fur, flying around and growling. Sam yelled at them and they rolled into the woods. He ran in after them, and I saw a shirt fly out of the trees. Emily sighed behind me.

"They're all such hotheads." She looked annoyed, rather than worried like I felt.

"Do they do this often?" I was confused.

She smiled a little. "Not as often as it used to. You must have stirred up some emotion. We imprints seem to do that a lot."

I smiled tentatively back. "Will they be alright?"

"Jacob will be for sure, he seems natural at werewolf things. So will Sam. Quil and Embry will be fine too, but they might be a little scratched up. I don't imagine Jacob will let them off easy."

I nodded slowly. It all seemed so silly, and I was starting to feel bad for making them angry. But one thing I won't put up with is rude people.

"Well, while we're waiting, would you like a brownie before they eat them all?"

My stomach growled in response.

She laughed, light and beautiful. "I'll take that as a yes!"

I followed her into the kitchen, and she passed me a brownie on a small blue plate. It was still warm. As I ate it, I felt better. Chocolate makes everything better. Then I noticed how huge the plate of brownies was and I choked a little on the bite I was chewing.

"Emily, do you always make that many brownies?"

"Yes, the boys like two or three, and with ten of them, I have to make at least thirty a batch." "Did Jake really eat that many in one sitting?" I tried to imagine it.

"Yes. I left the room and they were sitting on the counter. I came back and he had about five in his mouth and three in each hand. None were left on the plate. He saw me and ran out the door, brownies in hand."

I couldn't help but burst out laughing at the mental picture. Emily joined me, our laughter filling up the small space. Besides the rude guys, I felt very at home here. It was a relief.

Only fifteen minutes had passed since the incident, but it felt like more. I knew Jacob could take care of himself, but I would still be happier when he was holding me in his arms again. I heard the front door open, and Jake came running into the kitchen. He pulled me off the stool I was sitting on and hugged me tight. I felt so much better already. I looked up at him, and he was smiling at me. He leaned down and kissed me softly. It was very sweet. I liked how we only needed small displays of affection to make us happy, because it showed how much deeper our relationship ran.

"I missed you." He whispered. "I missed you too. Even though you were only gone for fifteen minutes." It amazed me. Someone coughed gently behind us. Jacob flushed and turned around, his hand wrapped around mine.

"Sam, this is Natalie Johnson. Natalie, meet Sam Uley, the pack leader."

Sam extended his hand. "Pleased to meet you."

I shook his hand and smiled. "It's nice to meet you too. And even though I'm not sure what happened, I have a feeling you saved me from something bad. Thank you."

Jacob smiled approvingly at me, as did Sam. Embry and Quil were behind Sam. Embry was rubbing his shoulder, and Quil had his hand on his forearm. Jacob saw them and glared. They glared back. Sam grabbed the two and pushed them towards me. Embry spoke first.

"Um. I'm sorry for being rude. You… You weren't what I expected is all."

I nodded. Quil grunted as Sam nudged him, hard.

"I'm sorry too. You just caught me off guard."

Jacob growled. I jumped a little and he squeezed my hand reassuringly.

"Well, we are leaving now." Jacob said. He turned to Emily, who was now next to Sam. "May I please take a brownie with me?"

She smiled. "Of course."

He thanked her and grabbed one. He turned to Sam next.

"Thanks for helping me deal with them. I owe you."

"It's what I'm here for." Sam said.

"Please come soon." Emily said earnestly.

I answered. "We will. Thank you so much for having us. Your brownies are delicious and you home is beautiful."

She shone with pride, and we left the kitchen. Once we reached the car, I pelted Jacob with questions.

"What happened? Why are they so rude? Why were you guys shaking? Did you get Embry and Quil?"

He sighed. He ate his brownie while he thought. "You weren't what they expected you to be. They were rude because they didn't know how to react. We shake when we are angry and anger makes us change into wolves. I cuffed Embry hard on his shoulder, and I scratched Embry in the forearm. Then Sam ordered us to knock it off and phase back."

"Are you alright?"

He scoffed. "Neither of them have anything on me."

"Good. I'm sorry for making them mad though."

"It's not your fault. They deserved what they got."

I was still confused on one point. "What were they expecting me to be?" I asked softly.

He sighed. I could tell he had been avoiding this question. "Well, we can hear each others thoughts in wolf form, but they weren't getting a clear picture of you because I've been blocking thoughts of you from anyone. It's hard for others to concentrate if one of us has our mind elsewhere. From what was running through their heads when we were fighting, it seems like they were expecting another… Bella." His face contorted in pain. "They seriously thought I would fall for someone exactly like her. But you are almost her complete opposite. And I love you more than I ever loved her. They thought I seemed shallow or something because you're so different. Even though they know I've imprinted on you, they still doubted us." He stressed the word know.

"They claim that they're my best friends, and yet they don't get it. They were also surprised that you aren't Native American. So far I'm the first who's imprinted on someone who wasn't Quileute or Makah." He was shocked.

"And they call you shallow." I murmured.

He snorted. "If you look up shallow in the dictionary there's a picture of them instead of a definition."

I giggled. "Well, what do you want to do now?"

"We could make our date an all day thing." He looked at me hopefully.

"Ok. I can live with that." I grinned at him. "So what are we doing?"

"I'm not telling! It's a surprise!"

I groaned and folded my arms across my chest. I pushed out my bottom lip in a pretend puppy dog pout. He chuckled.

"Even though you look really cute like that, it's not going to work."

I lifted my hands in surrender. "Fine, I'll be patient."

"Good." He grabbed my hand and drove towards our first stop.

A/N: Sorry I couldn't fit the date in. Quil and Embry just kind of invited themselves into this chapter. (they do that a lot don't they?) So the date will be next chapter. Please review! I really want ten, because I got nine last chapter. But let's aim for nine again for sure, ok? Thanks guys!


	9. Bliss

A/N: So, I'm sorry, yet again, that it's been so long! It's also short, but very fluffy, I think. Please enjoy! Oh, and I'm SOOOO happy, you guys rock! We've hit 50 reviews! (Actually, we're at 51 now. :D ) THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH!! Thank you to missbrunettgirl, A.Mess.Of.Flaws, Kabtashe, Robotic Dinosaur, Shadowgirl61, frizz3221, kirstey, twilightfan78, diabeticgirl4, and Siren to the Werewolves. VIRTUAL COOKIES!

Chapter 9: Bliss

We drove up to a small pizza place. Jake and I walked in with our arms around each other. I was just going with the flow, letting him lead me. We ordered family sized pepperoni pizza. I didn't even raise an eyebrow. I understood that wolves ate a lot. His smile grew even more prominent when he realized that totally understood. We sat and waited for our pizza to bake. I leaned against him and he played with my hair. An elderly couple passed us. The man was Quileute, and the woman wasn't, just like us. I could hear the woman whispering as they passed.

"Oh look! They look just like we did! Isn't that sweet?"

He nodded and took her in his arms. I couldn't help letting out a small "aw!"

Jake began rubbing my shoulders, and I melted into his arms. All too soon, the pizza worker called Jacob's name to tell us that the pizza was done.

He took the pizza in one hand, grasping my hand in his other hand. We got in his car and he set the pizza on his lap to keep it warm. He held my hand again, and drove away. I leaned my head against the headrest and closed my eyes, relishing in his warmth that filled the small space. Cooler air suddenly seeped in, and my eyes flew open. We had arrived, and he had opened my door. He led me down a small path, pizza in hand, and we emerged through some trees next to a waterfall. The trees were so tall that I almost had to bend backwards to see the tops. The waterfall was stunning, but it was quiet. There was a small picnic table, surprisingly dry enough to sit on. We opened the box of pizza, and I set aside two slices for myself, letting Jake know it was all right with me if he ate the rest. Which he promptly did. I ate slowly, knowing I got squeamish when I ate too fast when I was excited. And I was extremely excited to see what this day would bring.

I kicked off my flats and rolled up the legs of my pants, walking lightly to the edge of the small pool that the waterfall emptied into. The water was crystal clear, and slightly warm. I figured there must be a hot spring feeding into it. I perched lightly on a rock and dangled my feet in. He came and sat next to me. I heard a soft sigh.

"What's the matter?" I asked.

"I was planning to make you come swim with me, but I think you'll yell at me if I throw you in."

I nodded. "Yeah I probably would." I smiled though, to show him I wasn't annoyed. "It would take too long to dry, and believe it or not, these are my nicest clothes."

"I figured that. But…" He trailed off.

"Jacob, what did you do?"

"When I was out in wolf form I ran back to your house and grabbed your swimsuit. It was on top of your dresser for some reason."

I blushed. "I was looking at it, wishing I would be able to use it here, but knowing I probably wouldn't. That was until I met a certain person who happens to be incredibly warm." I winked at him. "I'll change into it in those trees over there." I pointed to a small cluster of trees that weren't very far away. The clearing we were in happened to be pretty big, and I didn't want to go that far. He jogged to the car and grabbed my suit, bringing it back to me. I was suddenly very self-conscious. I walked over to the trees, and quickly changed into my neon, rainbow striped swimsuit. I loved color, not really caring how stupid I looked in it. But of course, when I bought it, I didn't have a boyfriend. I was thankful at least that it was a tankini with shorts style bottoms. Once my clothes were carefully folded, I took a deep breath and stepped out of the trees.

Jacob had changing into swim trunks while I was changing. He ran my clothes to the car, and came back, gently taking my hand and leading me to the edge of the natural pool. Next thing I knew, I was in his arms in the water. He had jumped in, bringing me with him. It was freezing in the deeper water, so I curled instinctively towards him.

"Brr!" I cried.

He laughed, loud and hard.

"You did this on purpose!" I smacked his arm. "Just like those jerks who try to take girls to sad movies so they'll cry on their shoulder." I pushed away from him, turned my back to him, and started sloshing back to the edge of the pool. As expected, his warm arms wrapped around me before I made it that far.

"Natalie! Don't be mad at me! I didn't do that, I promise! I just thought you would like swimming…" I turned around and kissed him, silencing his pleas. He gasped.

"You did that on purpose!"

"Maybe I did." I grinned. "Or maybe I just thought you'd like chasing after me."

He smiled, and we swam around the pool for a while, always close together to keep me from freezing. We got out after swimming for about an hour. It was around 7:00 p.m. He wrapped me in a huge towel. He was already drying because of his high body heat. I sat in the car, letting warm air from the heater dry me off. He started to drive again, and I was feeling drowsy but I didn't want to close my eyes. I watched his face as he watched the road and his hands as he drove smoothly around the turns. We were driving back towards town.

"What would you like for dinner Nat?" I pondered for a while. "How about fries and milkshakes?"

"Perfect!"

He drove to a small McDonald's, and ordered four large chocolate milkshakes and five large boxes of fries. The cashier looked at us curiously. I internally laughed. I was pretty thin, and Jake was super fit. She had to be wondering if we were planning to eat it all ourselves, or if we just had lazy friends. I smiled sweetly.

"We'll only need two straws, please." Surprise was written across her face, but she pulled the two extra straws out of the bag.

"Here you go." She handed the fry bag, and then the shakes, one by one.

"Thanks!" I said cheerfully, and we drove away, faintly hearing her mutter something about "crazy teens with high metabolisms." Both of us cracked up laughing. The car came to a stop, and he opened my door and helped me out. I glanced around and noticed that we were on a cliff of some sort. It was completely flat and smooth stone where we were standing, but glancing over the edge I saw we were very high up and the sides of the cliff were very rocky, as was the section of ocean it overlooked.

I walked back to Jacob, and he pulled out a blanket and an umbrella. The blanket was a thick, down comforter. He spread it out and I sat down, McDonald's bag and milkshake in hand. He sat next to me, finishing all of his food in the time it took me to plow through half of mine. By now, the sun was setting. We were right on the edge of the cliff and we had a breathtaking view of the sun meeting the ocean. The sky was alight with orange, yellow, pink, and deep red, all reflecting on the water. Looking up, the sky was already turning a deep, midnight blue, even though it was only eight o'clock. Jake pulled me into his lap and I leaned against him, still sipping my shake. I was blissfully happy.

A/N: So there you have it, most of their date. If you're wondering, yes, I do have writers block, so if it's worse than usual, I'm so sorry. I figured most of you would prefer a short chapter to no chapter. I would love ten reviews again!

P.S. Is anyone going to a Breaking Dawn release party at Border's or one of the other bookstores? I AM!! I'm so excited! Me and my best friend are making t-shirts! YAY!


	10. Epilogue: No Regrets

A/N: Thank you to fizz3221, Shadowgirl61, missbrunettgirl, diabeticgirl4, Momentarily Infinite, and twilightfan78. Cookies to you!

Chapter 10: No Regrets

20 years later…

"Mommy!" My little daughter cried. "Kara took the remote and turned it to a teenager show!" She said teenager the same way she said the words bug, monster, and bedtime. I sighed.

"Kara…" I raised my voice towards the living room, and trailed off warningly. I soon heard the sounds of ponies and princesses blaring from the T.V. Kara came into the kitchen where I was, shoulders slumped and eyes already rolling.

"Mom, can I please pick the show, for once?" She slid her pretty little face into a pout. She got Jacob's good looks, as did five year old Amy, and Kara's twin brother, Caine. Caine meant son of the fighter, so it was a natural choice for a werewolf's son. Kara meant dear, for she was dear to my heart. My first girl. Amy meant beloved, as my last child, and my only of the three with my fair skin and red hair. They were almost my whole life, as a good part of it still belonged to Jacob. Jacob had stopped phasing when the twins were born. He was now aging with me. We were twenty-two when the twins were born, and now they were fifteen.

I shook my head to return from my daydreams, and looked back to Kara.

"You can go in my room and watch T.V. for a while." She beamed at me, and my heart swelled.

"Thanks Mom!" She hugged me tight, and genuinely.

Caine walked in shortly afterwards.

"How was patrolling?" I asked. He was a wolf already, and I feared Kara might still change someday.

"Pretty boring." He sighed. "Vamps not causing as much trouble as Dad warned they might."

"Consider that a good thing." I said gently. "Dinner will be done soon, unless you had other plans." I said, raising an eyebrow as his eyes twitched toward the door.

"Um… Mom, I have something to tell you."

We sat down and I looked at him curiously.

"I imprinted, Mom. She's beautiful. Her name is Tala." I took in a deep breath of air, and my lips twitched up in a smile. So early, imprinted already…

"I asked her on a date."

I nodded. "Well, I'm happy for you. Go on your date, and have fun!"

He smiled happily and sped off, hopefully to change into better clothes.

I got up to go sit with Amy. My thoughts wandered back to the first two years I met Jacob. We reached the end of my Dad's research year, when Billy suddenly remembered some old legends and artifacts he conveniently forgot about. So did several other Quileute's. Everyone was trying to help me and Jacob reach the deadline where I legally wouldn't have to go back to L.A. It tore at my heart that I would be living so far from my dad, but I loved Jacob too much to leave him. My dad was so overwhelmed by all of the stuff that he called and scheduled another year away. Then, the locals ended up having so much stuff, that my dad was able to start a museum on the reservation, ending all of my problems.

My mind drifted to when I was twenty. Jake proposed that spring. We were both taking classes at the community college, but neither of us had big aspirations. I was going to be a historian like my dad, and Jake was thinking about being a police officer. Our wedding was in the summer on the beach, on one of those rare sunny days. The whole pack came, and my dad was even pretty cool about the whole thing. He could see that we weren't throwing our lives away, merely making it even better. I think he was just happy that I was happier with him than I had been for a long time, since my mom died.

Our honeymoon was a small affair like our wedding; we went up to Seattle and did touristy things. We went to the Space Needle, the aquarium, and I surprised Jake with pre season football tickets. It didn't really feel much different then when we were just dating. A little over a year later, I found out I was pregnant with the twins. I continued with college and so did Jake. It was a surprisingly easy pregnancy, and I graduated just before they were born. I was very content with the twins, and we waited a long time before having Amy.

I glanced down at the little angel that was my baby. I could hear Kara snoring softly in my room. Then I remembered the macaroni and cheese I had in the oven.

"Amy sweetie, do you want to help me with the salad?"

She nodded excitedly. We went into the kitchen and I swiftly removed the hot food from the oven. I got the salad stuff out of the fridge and she added the vegetables into the bowl after I had them chopped up. I sent Amy to wake up Kara and I could hear squeals as she jumped on the bed. Amy came skipping back in, towing a sleepy Kara behind her. We sat down at the table with the food in the middle just as Jake walked in the door. He had ended up a police officer, and he removed his belt and badge before sweeping me into a hug and a gentle kiss. It didn't last long, because Amy decided to make kissy noises. Jacob turned to survey the dinner table, and erupted into laughter.

"What's so funny?" I asked, my eyebrows raised.

He leaned down to whisper in my ear.

"You made the same dinner we had our very first dinner together." I gasped. "You're right."

We ate contentedly, Amy only making small messes, and Kara being less teenage and more agreeable than usual.

When we went to bed that night, I felt complete. I heard my three kids breathing in their rooms and I felt my warm husband beside me, (heard his snoring too). I was in my own house and I had a great job where I got to spend time with my dad. I had no regrets from moving to the small town of La Push, and falling in love with this goofy, graceful, giant Quileute guy.

A/N: sob This, my friends, is the end of Jacob and Natalie's story. I hope you were able to get some closure, and I hope the 20 years later thing and all the happy "everything is perfect" stuff didn't gag you guys too much. I don't want to give any Breaking Dawn spoilers in case you haven't read it, but stuff happens that makes it hard for me to write this anymore. Not bad stuff at all, I actually really liked Breaking Dawn, just stuff. You'll see what I mean.

So thank you guys for reading, it was a great experience for me! Your reviews made my day, and I really love this story! I am actually considering a Seth x OC or a Quil x Claire story. If you guys have a specific one you want, let me know in your review!

Cookies to everyone who read this chapter after the awful "20 years later" and double cookies to anyone who read this all the way through. Oh and triple cookies to everyone who reviews this chapter, since there won't be another chapter to thank you in. sob

The End


	11. My New Story!

Just to let you guys know, I posted my new story _Sophomore Metamorphosis_, so please go check it out! It's Seth x OC, and I'm pretty excited. It's a nice long first chapter! Hope you enjoy it!


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